Things just keep on getting better
Sulpicio: Customs cleared pesticide shipment
Apart from the possibly hundreds of lives lost in the ship disaster of the M.V. Princess of the Stars, it turns out that the wreckage itself could be toxic.
Apparently 400 cartons of pesticide bound for Cebu shipped by Del Monte Philippines (who has large pineapple plantations across the archipelago) was not supposed to be on the tragic ship. Because the pesticide is a controlled substance, it is only supposed to ride with cargo and not with passengers.
Almost a week into the salvage efforts it was only known today that the ship carried the dangerous cargo in it’s belly. Officials only found out through Del Monte and not through Sulpicio lines.
Sulpicio Lines defended itself that it did not know the contents were pesticides and that documents which the Bureau of Customs issued stated that it was “Endosulfan, technical”. To the non-chemist and farmer, Endosulfan would be a strange word for me and thus refer to the next word which would be technical.
Things are getting interesting here. It seems that the ill fated ship is uncovering even more things other than bad weather. Because of the global attention to this tragedy it highlights the inefficiency of our government and maritime industry.
How could the Bureau of Customs allow dangerous cargo get on board a passenger vessel? Why didn’t Sulpicio lines disclose the full contents of the ship other than passenger manifest? What else lurks beneath the waters of the MV Princess of the Stars?
